7 Tips to Stay Motivated Working From Home

Working from home (WFH) is like riding a rollercoaster designed by a 12 year old in Roller Coaster Tycoon. It begins with the freedom of no longer needing to commute in to an office and the opportunity to wear comfortable clothes. Then it slowly but surely can lead to feelings of isolation, boredom, and burnout. If you're struggling with motivation while WFH, you're not alone.

Understanding why there's a lack of motivation is the first step to getting your mojo back. Whether you're longing for the days of commuting or filing TPS reports for your boss, Bill Lumbergh, these strategies can help you find your footing and thrive while WFH.

How to Stay Motivated and Take Action

Motivation is the most important aspect of productivity when working from home. While it can be challenging to maintain on a daily basis, understanding the root of it (whether it's internal or external motivation), will help you stay motivated and avoid burning out.

Begin With Meal Planning Practices

The key to successful meal planning is to start small. Don't try to do everything at once. Start with breakfast and lunch, then add dinner, and finally, add snacks.

1. Create a Schedule

To effectively plan your meals, you must decide how many meals you want to prepare for the week in A structured workday helps you organize your day better. You won't waste time doing things that don't matter. And you'll spend less time procrastinating.

Without a structured workday, it's easy to fall into the trap of wasting time on unimportant tasks. This leads to stress and frustration because you're never sure whether you've accomplished anything meaningful. Having a clear schedule will help keep you focused on what matters most. You'll know exactly where you stand every hour of the day.

Prioritize Your Projects

Attempting to tackle everything at once is a recipe for stress and failure. Instead, you should take a step back and assess your whole workload. What are the big-picture priorities? How many hours per week do you have to devote to your job?

Take Regular Breaks

Taking regular breaks will help you prevent burnout and improve productivity. In fact, taking regular breaks allows you to recharge and refresh your brain. This is especially important when working long hours without stopping.

A study found that workers who took short breaks every hour worked longer and performed better than those who didn't. The researchers surveyed over 200 office workers about how often they took breaks during the day. They discovered that people who took shorter breaks—less than 15 minutes—worked fewer hours per week than those who took longer breaks. In addition, the employees who took shorter breaks reported feeling less tired and stressed than those who did not.

2. Establish a Dedicated Workspace

A dedicated workspace allows you to concentrate on work without distractions like TV, music, social media, etc. This helps you avoid burnout and maintain productivity throughout the day.

Keep your home office organized by eliminating things that don't serve a purpose anymore. You'll find it easier to focus on work when everything is neat and tidy.

3. Limit Distractions and Interruptions

The average person spends about eight hours per day working. However, most people don't actually accomplish much during those 8 hours. In fact, according to a study conducted by Harvard University, the average remote employee accomplishes less than three tasks throughout the day. This unproductivity is due to the wide range of potential distractions and interruptions.

Minimizing interruptions and distractions that could otherwise cut your productivity is essential when working remotely. You can achieve this by eliminating any potential sources of distraction, including notifications, background noise, and even your cat

4. Work in Small Blocks of Time

The best way to avoid procrastinating is to break big tasks into smaller ones. This helps because it gives you something concrete to work towards. If you struggle to get anything done, try setting aside a block of time each morning and evening. You'll feel less stressed out knowing that you have a certain amount of time to get everything done. For example, spend 10 minutes every two hours away from the computer. This allows you to take quick breaks without feeling like you're wasting time.

5. Challenge Yourself

Sometimes, a little challenge can really help get you moving. When it comes to WFH, sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you want to improve your productivity, why not give yourself a challenge?

For example, write a certain number of words in 30 minutes, or you may want to beat that same number during the next 30-minutes time slot. Or, you may find out something interesting about yourself while writing.

And after a successful challenge completion, reward yourself. This could mean anything from extending your planned break by 2 minutes to logging off early or even treating yourself to some ice cream.

6. Practice Good Self-Care

Working from home makes it easy to fall into a routine where you never really stop. You might spend hours every day checking email, responding to messages, and doing research online. If you don't make time to step away from those tasks, you could end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

The good news is there are ways to help break free from the daily grind without going completely offline. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you're trying to unplug:

Get Outside

The benefits of getting outdoors are numerous. You'll feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your body will thank you for it. And your brain will thank you too. Spending 15 minutes outside daily could help improve cognitive function and reduce stress levels. If you're feeling overwhelmed, try taking a short hike or even a quick stroll around the block. You don't have to spend hours doing something physical; simply moving around and enjoying the scenery will do wonders for your health.

Exercise Regularly

Regularly exercising will improve your health, and you don't have to spend hours in the gym to reap the benefits of physical activity. In fact, 10 minutes of moderate exercise five times per week will make a difference. You can create a home gym and do different types of exercise, such as cardio, strength training, yoga, and Pilates.

7. Experiment With Different Strategies

There are many ways to work remotely effectively. Some people prefer working in coffee shops, while others prefer video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Skype. Still, others find it easier to work from their home office. Whatever method works best for you, experiment with different methods before settling into one strategy. This way, you'll know what works well for you and doesn't.

Create Your Own Systems

Creating your own systems can be a powerful way to motivate yourself and stay focused on your work. It might involve creating a daily schedule or holding yourself accountable to regular breaks if you work from home. It can mean setting achievable goals for each day or week and having motivation techniques that keep you on track. If you want to get things done quickly and efficiently, finding a system that works for you and sticking to it can make a difference.

Vary Day-to-Day Tasks

Remote work is great because it allows you to choose what hours you want each day. But some people find themselves working too much or too little. If you are one of those people, try adding variety to your routine and break the monotony. This helps avoid fatigue and burnout and keeps motivation levels high in the long run. Switching up day-to-day tasks can add much-needed focus, clarity, and fresh perspectives, which are essential for any successful workflow.

Consider starting a side hustle. These activities will give you something else to do besides just checking email and answering questions.